H.E. President David W. Panuelo and the First Lady,
Hon. Wesley W. Simina, Speaker of the FSM Congress,
Hon. Senators, Cabinet Secretaries, other government officials, representatives of the private sector, social services, academia and media in the FSM,
H.E. US Ambassador Robert Riley and other Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Chinese compatriots and contractors of the China-aid projects,
Distinguished guests, ladies, gentlemen and friends,
Good Evening! First, please allow me to pay respect to the traditional leaders of this land. Second, please allow me to pay respect to the dignitaries present this evening. Today, we gather together at Mangrove Bay Sushi Bar, the renowned resort of Pohnpei, to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China as well as the 30th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and the FSM.
Today is the FSM Cleanup Day initiated by H.E. President Panuelo. Today is also the Traditional Full Moon Festival in China. I tell my colleagues that this is not pure coincidence. This is our common destiny because we can do a lot more of cleanup under the full moon.
The founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1st, 1949, brushed away 100 some years of humiliating history of the Chinese people and embarked on a great new journey of our nation’s revitalization, prosperity, and people’s happiness. Over the 70 years since the founding of the PRC, especially for the 41 years since the Reform and Opening Up in 1978, under the strong and coherent leadership of China, huge changes have taken place in China and we’ve scored incredible achievements. Since 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Chinese leadership have united and led the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to forge ahead with determination and blaze new trails, leading Chinese development into a new era. The Chinese nation has achieved a tremendous transformation from standing up, growing rich to becoming strong today. Being the second largest economy in the world, today’s China is making progress day by day, rising rapidly in comprehensive national strength, thriving in development of all areas and the people’s standard of living keeps improving substantially. China’s development has reached the period that we’re closer than ever to and more confident than ever and more capable than ever of realizing the Chinese dream and goal of the great revitalization of the Chinese nation,which is the most fundamental aspiration of the whole Chinese nation and which is also the most fundamental and universal human right to development for the people.
The founding of the PRC has also ushered in a new era of China’s relations with the world as well as a spectacular historic journey of new China’s diplomacy.
Over the past 70 years, China has consistently pursued an independent foreign policy of peace. We’ve always advocated that the issues of China must be determined by the Chinese people, and the issues of the world should be dealt with through consultation among all concerning countries. We insist on deciding our position and policy on any issue on its own merits and stressing to respect the right of all peoples to independently choose their development path. We’ll never impose our will upon others, nor will we allow anyone to impose his will upon the Chinese people.
Over the past 70 years, China has consistently advanced the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence as the fundamental rule of international relations. Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit and peaceful coexistence. This above Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which were put forward by China and some other countries in 1950s, have been supported and echoed by more and more countries and become globally accepted norms of international relations. Today, China has become the United Nation’s second largest financial donor and the largest contributor to UN Peacekeeping Operations in terms of military among the Five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council. China has firmly defended multilateralism and also pushed for improving and reforming the international system.
Over the past 70 years, China has consistently stood firmly alongside with developing countries and supported their causes of national independence, liberation, peace and development. We’re committed to promoting South-South cooperation and South-North dialogues, pushing the international order toward a more fair and just direction. Entering the new era, China upholding our self-positioning as a developing country, will continue to support developing countries like the FSM to play an even greater role in international affairs, to safeguard the justified rights of developing countries, to step up our assistance to developing countries, to lead more countries to common development through mutually beneficial cooperation.
Ladies, Gentlemen and Friends,
Since 2013, under the strong leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, China has successfully embarked on a new path of Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics.
China advocates the vision of the Community with Shared Future for the Humanity as the goal and direction for conducting Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics in the new era. It is our strong belief that today all human beings live in a global village, which has increasingly become a close-knit community with shared future. Not a single country can stand alone to face various kinds of global challenges like the climate change faced by the humanity. Therefore, all countries around the globe should engage in world-wide cooperation to build a Community with Shared Future for the Humanity shoulder to shoulder. We should uphold peace and cooperation and jointly build a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice, win-win cooperation, to make our world open and inclusive, clean and beautiful with lasting peace, common security, and common prosperity. China has been a strong champion of and an active participant in building the Community with Shared Future for the Humanity. We strive to synchronize China’s development and dream with that of the world, and endeavor to fulfill the prospect of a better life by the Chinese people and people all around the world. It has become a shining mark of China’s major-country diplomacy.
China also advocates the joint pursuit of the Belt and Road Initiative, which established a new model of China’s all-round opening-up and a new platform of international cooperation in the new era.
Inheriting and carrying forward the ancient Silk Road Spirit, the Belt and Road Initiative is not only China’s master plan of opening-up and international cooperation for quite a long period of time ahead, but also an important stage for practicing the building of the Community with Shared Future for the Humanity. We will follow the principles of extensive consultation, joint efforts and shared benefits, to pursue open, green and clean cooperation, and to work towards high standard, people-centered and sustainable development. More than 160 countries and international organization, including the FSM, have signed agreements on Belt and Road cooperation with China. Countries concerned have made concerted efforts to expand policy communication, upgrade infrastructure connectivity, advance economic, trade and investment cooperation, enhance financial cooperation, and facilitate people-to-people exchanges. The Belt and Road Initiative has transitioned from proposal into action, from making high-level plans to intensive and meticulous implementation, blazing new trails for economic globalization, enlarging the space for international cooperation.
Ladies, Gentlemen and Friends,
Just like the first video clip titled Shared Future has displayed, the 30 years of China-FSM relations well demonstrated the foreign policy unswervingly adopted by the PRC ever since its founding 70 years ago. Over the past 30 years, the Chinese government has attached great importance to developing China-FSM friendly relations and always regarded the FSM as a good brother and sister, partner and friend. Over the past 30 years, the friendly exchanges and cooperation between China and the FSM in various fields have seen fruitful achievements, which not only serve the common interests of our two countries and bring tangible benefits to our two peoples, but also contribute to the regional and global peace, prosperity and stability. Over the past 30 years, China and FSM have continuously promoted mutual understanding and friendship. The social and public opinion foundation of China-FSM relations has become more and more solid, and the hearts of our two peoples are getting closer and closer.
Historical experience has proven that, in order to maintain the long-term, sound and stable development of China-FSM relations and to continuously score new achievements, we must hold fast to the following principles:
First of all, the FSM government firmly adheres to the One China Principle. There is only but one China in the world. The Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The One China Principle not only is the most fundamental cornerstone and bedrock of the China-FSM Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, but also one of the basic rules of the international law and international relations that every country should strictly abide by. China highly appreciates the stance of the FSM government in strictly adhering to the One China Principle and its leading role in safeguarding the One China Principle in the region. That is why the FSM is a leader in this neighborhood. Without this cornerstone and bedrock, the whole edifice of our partnership would collapse.
Secondly, we should always treat each other as equals. China has consistently advocated that all countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community. Despite being a developing country with more than 6 million people still living in poverty, China upholds the principle of pursuing the greater good and shared interests and the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith. Under the principles of equality, mutual benefit, openness and sustainability, China has provided assistance to the FSM within its capacity under the framework of south-south cooperation like the way between brothers and sisters. China's assistance to the FSM is not attached with political preconditions, nor is it imposing on the FSM side, but is according to the needs of the FSM people, which has improved the local livelihood, brought tangible benefits to the local people, assisted in the FSM’s economic and social development, so China Aid is the most sincere and selfless assistance. A lot of my friends would ask me this question: why is your office and residence in Palikir not as good as the government complex buildings you have donated to the FSM? I always reply that because we are fully aware that the FSM people are in badly need of Chinese assistance. So despite the fact that China is still a developing country with more than 6 million people in poverty, we will still help another developing country the FSM like brother to brother and sister to sister. That is South to South cooperation among our two developing countries. We firmly believe that a friend in need is a friend indeed. So China is indeed a good friend of the FSM. We urge some countries to view China's relations with the FSM in a fair manner.
Thirdly, we should always respect each other. In the 1980s, in the face of the opposition from some big powers, China fully supported the FSM in its pursuit of independence in the United Nations and became one of the earliest countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with the FSM. Over the past 30 years, China and the FSM have always respected each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, respective social systems, development paths chosen independently according to their own national conditions, fundamental interests and major concerns. Our two countries have never interfered in each other's internal affairs and have kept close coordination and cooperation on major regional, international and global issues like the climate change which is the biggest concern of the Pacific Island countries including the FSM. This constitutes an important connotation of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between China and the FSM.
Fourthly, we should always pursue common development. We strongly believe that all human beings, living on the same earth and sharing the same sky and ocean, will share the same future. Globalization is an irresistible historical trend in today's world. Not a single country should remain an isolated island. All countries ought to connect with each other to form a community with shared future. China regards the FSM as an important partner in the pursuing of the Belt and Road Initiative, and will fully carry out the concept of "helping friends to know how to fish instead of just giving fishes" proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping by increasing input in the areas of education, healthcare, science and technology and people-to-people exchanges on top of the existing cooperation with the FSM, making concerted efforts to pursue the Belt and Road Initiative and build the Community with Shared Future for the Humanity.
Talking about people to people exchanges, I wish to remind everyone that there will be a Chinese culture performance group coming from Zhongshan, Guangdong China to give performances at Colonia-China Friendship Gym next Thursday and Friday. It is a public event. So everyone is most welcome.
Ladies, Gentlemen and Friends,
At this moment of “double celebrations”, please allow me to quote President Panuelo’s congratulatory message to Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the FSM and China, “We have come a long way in a short time, have realized true friendship based on a solid foundation of shared interests and values and cultivated an enduring bilateral relationship. We hope for greater friendship and partnership in the years ahead and co-authoring a new chapter of the FSM-China relationship beyond today’s 30th Anniversary.”
I am convinced that as long as our two countries work together to keep enriching the connotations of the China-FSM Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, to pursue the Belt and Road Initiative on the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration, and to promote the building of the Community with Shared Future for the Humanity, we can be full of expectations for a better future to be created by the peoples of both China and the FSM.
Ladies, Gentlemen and Friends,
Finally I wish to propose a toast: To the prosperity of China and the FSM, to our peoples’ happiness, to our continuous achievements of exchanges and cooperation in various fields, to the lasting friendship between our two peoples, and to the health, happiness and success of all our friends here present this evening. Cheers!
Kalahngan! Thank you!